CINCINNATI -- Veteran left-handed reliever Zach Duke was the sole free agent the Reds signed to a Major League contract in the offseason. On Monday, Cincinnati announced that Duke was designated for assignment and reliever Jimmy Herget was recalled from Triple-A Louisville.

Duke, 36, who was in his 15th big league season and second stint with the Reds, didn¡¯t get much traction as he went 3-1 with a 5.01 ERA in 30 appearances in 2019. He was signed to a one-year, $2 million contract on Feb. 11.

¡°First of all, it¡¯s tough losing Zach,¡± manager David Bell said. ¡°I¡¯ve known him for a long time and he became a big part of this team on and off the field in the clubhouse. He¡¯s had a great career to this point. He was a big part of our team. He¡¯ll be missed in a lot of ways.¡±

Duke¡¯s final appearance for the Reds was during Saturday¡¯s 6-0 loss to the Cubs. He was brought in during the eighth inning to face one left-handed batter, Anthony Rizzo, and Duke walked him on four pitches to load the bases. Jared Hughes replaced Duke and he gave up a grand slam to Javier Baez.

With Duke off the roster and Wandy Peralta on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain, the Reds are down to one lefty reliever in Amir Garrett Another lefty, Cody Reed, is on Louisville¡¯s injured list. Peralta is scheduled to throw in a side bullpen session on Tuesday.

¡°It was a bit of a luxury when we had three [lefties]. There are teams that don¡¯t have any,¡± Bell said.

Herget gets first callup

Herget, who was added to the Reds¡¯ 40-man roster during the offseason, received word of his first big league promotion early Monday afternoon. Louisville manager Jody Davis did what a lot of Triple-A skippers often do with such momentous news. Davis tried to trick the right-hander.

¡°Right when I got in the locker room today, Jody pulled me in and told me some stories about how people were upset with me, and this and that,¡± Herget explained. ¡°[It] kind of put me on edge. Then he said I¡¯d been traded. Then he said, ¡®Actually they¡¯re playing in Cincinnati tonight. Maybe you should hustle up there.¡¯ I realized once he said he didn¡¯t know what team it was, ¡®I think this might be happening right now.¡¯¡±

Herget, 25, was 1-4 with a 3.58 ERA with Louisville and he led the team with 33 appearances. Following a rough April, when he had a 5.68 ERA in 11 appearances, Herget found his footing again with the aid of pitching coach Jeff Fassero and posted a 2.58 ERA over his last 22 games.

¡°I was walking too many guys,¡± Herget said. ¡°Then I had a meeting with Jeff and he said, ¡®Bear down, you¡¯ve got to pitch.¡¯ Over the last month and a half, I did what I had to do. The results have shown it.¡±

Herget pitches with a sidearm delivery, but he can offer multiple arm angles that keeps hitters off-balance. It will give the Reds' bullpen an option of a newer look.

¡°Typically, and what I saw in Spring Training, there is a little deception there because of how he throws,¡± Bell said. ¡°It is a little bit unique and different from other guys. The report I got from Triple-A, too, is the deception has shown up in the results. That¡¯s been a big part of his success.

¡°A lot of times, guys like him can be tougher on right-handed hitters and I think that has shown.¡±

Lorenzen use as a hitter slows

During Spring Training, the Reds looked at reliever Michael Lorenzen as a two-way player because he can also hit -- with six career home runs -- run and play the outfield well. Lorenzen has logged 14 innings as an outfielder over nine games.

Lately, Lorenzen has been used sparingly as a hitter and outfielder. His last plate appearance was on June 21 at Milwaukee, when he hit a ninth-inning single during an 11-7 win. He was last in a game as an outfielder on June 2, vs. the Nationals, after he notched two outs as a pitcher.

¡°The other side of the ball has slowed down quite a bit,¡± Lorenzen said. ¡°Of course, I miss it, but I will do whatever is best for the team. We don¡¯t want to force anything or do it just to do it. I take BP every day, so I¡¯m prepared still.¡±

Lorenzen has been strong out of the bullpen this season and he entered Monday with a 3.61 ERA in 38 appearances and a team-leading 42 1/3 innings. He¡¯s also notched five saves, including three since June 17, when closer Raisel Iglesias was used earlier in the game or not at all.

¡°I haven¡¯t been throwing multiple innings nearly as much this year, so I don¡¯t have as many days where I¡¯m down [from pitching] after three innings and 40 pitches or two innings and 35 pitches,¡± Lorenzen said.